Family Ties
by AlexanderCastle
Summary: A series of snapshots from the lives of Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, and their son. Contains some sexual references, but hopefully nothing too bad... The rest of the team will show up in later chapters.
1. For The First Time

**As you have no doubt guessed, this is a series of one-shots revolving around our favorite blonde media liaison and a certain young doctor as they begin their lives together. No Will or Henry (though I do have plans for something that might involve them one day, right now my priority is to get this series of one-shots at least underway, and I do picture Jason being very similar to Henry, so make of that what you will).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Criminal Minds. However, I own the basic storyline of these one-shots, as well as the character Jason Xander Reid.**

**Setting - Sometime in Season 2 (or very early Season 3)**

She stares down at the sleeping child in her arms, her blue eyes moist with un-shed tears as she marvels at how absolutely perfect her newborn son is. She feels a gentle hand touch her arm and senses her boyfriend's presence next to her before he speaks in the calm, gentle, almost-shy manner that had caused her to fall for him in the first place. "Isn't he just the most amazingly perfect thing you've ever seen?" he marvels.

She smiles at him and raises herself ever so slightly from the hospital bed on which she lays to press her lips against his in a brief, though tender, kiss. "He certainly is. It's almost hard to believe that such perfection could exist".  
"I couldn't agree more".  
Smiling at her boyfriend, who is sitting in the chair next to her bed, their hands entwined between them on the sheets, her mind flashes to the day that she first told him that she was pregnant.  
**_~Eight months ago~_**_  
"Hey, Spence, do you want to go grab something to drink when we're done here? There's something I want to talk to you about".  
The brown-haired man glanced up at his best friend, the curiosity clear on his face and in his dark brown eyes. "Sure, JJ. What is it?"  
"I'd rather discuss it in private. Not in the middle of the bullpen".  
"Alright. How about that coffee shop just around the corner then?"  
"Yeah, sounds good".  
__**~Two hours later~**__  
Spencer looked at the young woman who sat across the table from him. They had ordered their coffees five minutes ago, and she had yet to take even a single sip of hers. "What's going on, JJ?" he queried.  
The blonde woman hesitated momentarily, running her tongue over her suddenly dry lips to moisten them before responding. "Do you remember that night just under a month ago, when I showed up at your place unannounced and soaking wet during that storm, and we ended up sharing that bottle of wine and... making love... several times?"  
The profiler nodded at the woman who sat across from him, indicating that he remembered vividly the night that she was referring to, before gesturing for her to continue. She sighed deeply. "I think that that one night had deeper repercussions than either of us expected it to, Spence. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father".  
"Oh".  
She raised an eyebrow, but otherwise gave no response to the young man sitting across from her, who looked as if he was trying to fit together the news that he had just been dealt. She watched every movement of his slim fingers as he picked up his coffee cup, lifting it to his lips and taking a brief sip before swallowing and placing the container down again. "Really? How... How far along are you?" he queried at last, his voice slightly more shaky than it had been moments before.  
"About a month, I think. I only just found out a couple of days ago. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for tomorrow during our day off, you're more than welcome to come with me if you'd like to. You don't have to be there for any of it, I have no intention of forcing you into anything. I'm just letting you know that you have options".  
Spencer nodded. "Are you... Are you going to keep it?"  
"Yes".  
Again, he nodded, this time adding a smile. "Good. JJ, I want to be part of this. I want more than anything to be a part of this baby's life, to have a chance to give our son, or daughter, the father that I never got to have. I want to be there for every minute of it. If you'll let me, that is".  
"Nothing would make me happier".  
As she spoke, her eyes filled with involuntary tears, and she furiously blinked them back. Spencer reached out and took her hand in his, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb and forefinger, sending warmth rushing through her body at the unexpected contact, before leaning in and gently, tenderly, placing a kiss to her lips. As he pulled away, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small rectangular box elegantly wrapped in blue paper and placing it on the table between them. "Ever since that night, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. My dreams are filled with you, and I want nothing more than to be able to kiss your perfect lips again and again. Jennifer Jareau, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"  
"Yes".  
His smile widening visibly, her new boyfriend (and the father of her unborn child, she reminded herself), indicated the box that lay in the center of the mahogany table. "Please, open it".  
The blonde woman nodded, carefully removing the ribbon and tucking it safely into her pocket (to give to Garcia later, the technical analyst having a fondness for ribbons), before tearing open the paper and opening the box to reveal a heart-shaped locket on a golden chain. Her jaw dropped open as she looked at it, and she blinked in shock as she glanced between it and the man sitting across from her. "Spence..."  
"It's a gift. I really want you to have it" the brown-haired profiler replied softly.  
She picked it delicately out of the box and let the locket itself rest in the palm of her hand. "It's gorgeous. I... I don't know how I can ever thank you enough".  
"That's not all there is to it. Flick the catch".  
The blonde's eyes went immediately to the small catch that was well-hidden on the side of the locket, and she eased it open with her forefinger, revealing the small photograph from three months before that sat inside of the locket. She and Spencer had been sitting across from each other on the plane back from one of their earlier cases, looking into each other's eyes as they played a game of cards with a pack that she had found somewhere, and someone had taken a picture of the two of them. It had been the first moment that she had really realized that she was in love with him... "Spence, how did you get this photo?" she queried, tears, this time of happiness, springing to her eyes for a second time.  
"Morgan took it with his cellphone and sent me a message with the image attached. I transferred the image onto my laptop and took it to a print lab, and got them to re-size it to fit the locket" Reid responded.  
"It's perfect. Thank you"._  
**~Present day~**  
"Do you want to hold him?"  
JJ's question catches her brown-eyed boyfriend off guard, and he considers the question. "Only if you don't mind".  
"Why would I mind, Spence? He is your son, after all".  
As she speaks, she eases her hand out of his and slides both hands under their son, before lifting him off of her lap and placing him in Spencer's arms. Immediately, brilliant blue eyes flicker open and focus briefly on the young man's face before squeezing shut again almost as quickly, and Spencer chuckles. "He has your eyes, I see".  
"And your adorableness".  
JJ's hand unconsciously slips up to the slender golden chain of the locket that hangs between her breasts, brushing against what has quickly become her most treasured possession. "Any thoughts on what his name should be?" her boyfriend queries at last.  
The woman looks up. "I was thinking Xander for a middle name. Any ideas for a first name?"  
"I like the name Jason".  
JJ smiles, knowing as she does that her boyfriend is referring not only to the hero figure of Greek myth, but also to their former colleague (who happened to be a major father figure for the younger agent). "Perfect. Jason Xander Reid. I like it, Spence".  
"Me too".  
JJ shifts over slightly to allow her boyfriend enough room to join her on the bed, and the two of them just sit there in silence for a few minutes, staring down at their newborn son. And, for the first time in years, both are totally, utterly, truly, at ease.


	2. Radiance

**Part 2 of 'Family Ties'. Emily's in this one!**

** To those wondering what the message that Morgan sent the image of JJ and Reid in the previous chapter was - The message was "You're in love with JJ. You should say something to her"**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.**

**Setting - Early Season 3, around the time of 'Damages'. Jason is 4 months old, it is JJ's and Reid's anniversary**

The young man smiles to himself as he stands in the doorway, staring at the sofa in the middle of the living room where his two favourite people in the world are currently asleep, the muted television playing in the background. His blonde-haired girlfriend is laying on her back, fast asleep, the slow rise and fall of her perfect chest with every breath she takes almost rhythmic in nature. Her left arm is draped over the edge of the sofa, slender fingers almost touching the carpet, and their 4-month old son, Jason, is curled up against her right arm, which is draped over her chest. For a moment he's tempted to walk over, to kneel down beside her, brush a strand of her hair away from her forehead and kiss her, but then he pauses, reminding himself that, after everything they've been through at work and all of the hard work they've been doing trying to make the United States a little safer for everyone, she deserves to spend this little bit of time undisturbed with their son. _She's so beautiful when she's asleep… Hell, she's beautiful all the time, but when she's asleep all of her worries leave her and she just looks so amazingly peaceful_ he thinks quietly. He stands there watching his girlfriend and their son as they sleep for a few minutes longer before, remembering that he has plans to make for the night ahead, turning and leaving the room, taking his phone from the charger on the table beside the door as he does so and closing the door quietly behind him.

As soon as the door clicks into place, he taps in the 4-digit code to unlock his phone, quickly accessing his contacts and picking a number seemingly at random. The phone rings twice before a woman's voice answers it. "Prentiss"

"Emily, its Reid" the young man replies quickly, eager as he is to enlist her help in his plans for the night.

"Reid? Why are you calling me on a Saturday? Are JJ and Jason alright?" his friend asks, a worried tone taking over her voice.

Reid smiles. "Yeah. Yeah, Emily, they're fine" he says softly.

There's the soft sound of a woman exhaling from the other side of the line, followed by a brief pause. "Oh, good. I'm glad to hear it. So, what do you need?" Emily queries.

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

Emily doesn't respond for a second, but when she does Reid can almost hear her smile. "I have a lunch meeting with my mother tomorrow, but, apart from that, my schedule's pretty much free for the next two days. Why do you ask?"

"Would you mind coming over to watch Jason for a few hours tonight, perhaps between 8:30 and 10? It's me and JJ's anniversary tonight, and I want to take her out for dinner somewhere special".

Despite the fact that Emily claims not to be any good with children, Reid knows that she's a lot more caring that she lets on, and that she has a soft spot in her heart for little Jason. She may not see it herself, but he knows that it's there. She sighs softly before replying. "Sure. I'll see you at 8:30 tonight then".

"Thanks. I really appreciate it".

"I'm always happy to help out whenever you or Jennifer need it, Reid. You guys know that. Alright, I suppose I should go. I have a few errands to run. See you tonight".

"See you then".

Reid hangs up and slips his phone back into his pocket before turning and opening the door to step back into the lounge. And there he stops. From where he is standing in the doorframe he can see that his girlfriend is awake now, standing with their son in her arms, and she is gently rocking him back and forth, swaying slightly on the spot as she sings to him. A smile plays across his lips, and he can't help the quiet chuckle that escapes, that causes her to pause in the middle of one line and look up and in his direction. She smiles and gestures for him to join her, and he willingly complies, his long legs quickly carrying him over to her side. His long, slender, arms wrap around her waist, and she subconsciously leans back, relaxing slightly into his touch and nuzzling her face into his neck. "I love you" she whispers, momentarily taking her eyes off of Jason, still held tight in her arms, to look up at him.

Blue eyes meet brown, and he lowers his head just enough to press his lips against hers. "I love you too" he breathes back, just loud enough for Jennifer to hear.

They stay like this for a while, the three of them lost in their own little world, but after around ten minutes Reid speaks again. "I asked Emily to come over tonight".

For a moment, his girlfriend is confused. "Why?"

Reid chuckles slightly, and Jennifer leans further into his embrace as his arms slip slightly more around her waist. "Because it's our 1-year anniversary, Jenn. Remember? Emily will be here at about 8:30 tonight to look after Jason for a few hours, and then you and I will go out and have a nice romantic dinner at an Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. Celebrate the way that we truly deserve to".

His mind wanders momentarily to the object sitting securely in the inside pocket of his jacket, the object that represents the plans that he's been making ever since a couple of months since Jason was born. Plans that he can't wait to put into action. He just has to wait a little longer to do so…

**~8:30 pm that night~**

There's a brisk knock at the door to their four-bedroom house about forty-five minutes away from Quantico, and Reid opens it, greeting the brown-haired young woman who's standing just outside. "Emily. Please, come in".

She steps over the threshold into the hallway, shrugging off her jacket as she does so, and he takes it from her, hanging it carefully over the coatrack by the door. "Where are JJ and Jason?"

Reid pauses for a second to think. "Jenn is just putting the finishing touches on her outfit for the night and Jason is asleep. He should probably sleep for the entirety of the time that we're gone, but you know where everything is in case you need it, right?"

Just then, there are quiet footsteps in the hallway that leads to the bedroom, and both turn to see Jennifer step into the room. She's wearing a gorgeous strapless black floor-length dress and 2 inch black heels, only enough makeup to accentuate her natural beauty and a simple black leather purse is slung over her shoulder. She smiles at Emily and her boyfriend, who is gazing at her with a stunned expression. "My god. Jenn… You look absolutely radiant" he breathes.

The blonde blushes. "Thanks, Spence. Ready to go?" she queries.

"Just about, yes. Just give me a second to grab my jacket, and then we can go".

He disappears down the hallway, and Jennifer and Emily sit down on the couch together. "Thanks for agreeing to watch Jason, Emily".

The brunette smiles at her blonde friend. "No problem, JJ. He's a great kid. Besides, if I wasn't here I'd probably just be at home, mourning the fact that I'm in love with a married man".

"Let me guess. Hotch?"

The brunette seems momentarily startled, but quickly regains her composure. "Yeah, it's Hotch. How'd you know?"

"I've seen the way you look at him when you think he's not looking. Really, it's obvious".

Emily opens her mouth to respond, but Spencer re-enters the room before she can, his black jacket now on. "Alright, Jenn, let's go. We should be back by around 10, Emily".

The older woman nods. "Jason and I will be fine here. Go celebrate your anniversary".

Spencer's girlfriend slips her hand into his, and he squeezes it gently. They turn and head for the door, Jennifer calling a quick "Call us if anything comes up" over her shoulder.

**~Thirty minutes later~**

Spencer takes another sip of his champagne before turning his attention back to his amazing girlfriend, who is sitting just across from him. He can't help but admire the way that her blue eyes sparkle when they catch the light, the way that her blonde hair falls delicately around her slender features and falls down to just below her shoulders. The locket he gave her when they started dating just over a year ago is clasped around her neck, the locket itself resting just above her breasts, and he can't recall a time when he has felt more in love with her than he does now. And he knows now, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is what he wants. That he has wanted to build something permanent for months now, even more than he did before Jason was born, and he wants more than anything for her to be the one that he does that with. "Jennifer?"

She swallows the bite of pasta that's currently in her mouth and looks questioningly towards her boyfriend. "What is it, Spence?"

Her hand is lying flat on the table, and Spencer reaches over and puts his hand on top of it. Their hands fold together like two pieces of a jigsaw, and the young man reaches into his jacket with his free hand, withdrawing the object tucked inside. He keeps it concealed for the space of a few seconds, and takes a deep breath in before speaking again. "The past year has been… absolutely amazing. I have never felt the way about anyone else the same way I feel about you, and I want it to last more than anything in the world. So…"

He uncurls his long fingers from around the object in his hand, revealing it to his girlfriend's eyes. She gasps quietly, and, as Spencer holds the small white-gold ring between his fingers, the diamond on top seems to almost glow in the candlelight. "Jennifer Jareau, will you marry me?"

Tears of joy appear in the young woman's sapphire eyes, and she nods furiously. As Reid slides the ring, which she has only just noticed is simple enough to be suited for work, yet elegant enough for her to wear on special occasions, onto her finger; she finally manages to find her voice. "Yes. Yes, Spence. I will marry you".

Thankful for the fact that their table is relatively obscured from the rest of the restaurant, both lean in simultaneously, sealing their engagement with a kiss. And Spencer knows that, no matter what turns their lives may or may not take, they will be moving forward. Together. And, if he has to be honest, he's never been happier.

**So there we go. Reviews are love. Oh, and feel free to leave me a prompt if there's any scenes from their lives together you'd like to see (except Spencer meeting JJ's mother, that one I'm writing next anyway).**


	3. Discussions

**So this is part 3 of the 'Family Ties' storyline. It's not the best, nor is it my favorite, but it needed to happen. I'm sure it's not the best part of the storyline so far, but... well, it had to be done sooner or later. There will be another part to this little scene though (another oneshot introducing the other members of JJ's family to Reid).**

**Disclaimer: Yeah... I definitely don't own them.**

**Setting - Just under 2 months into JJ's pregnancy, 1 month after she and Reid started dating.**

**~Pennsylvania~**

"You ready?" the blonde-haired woman queried, glancing at the young man sitting in the passenger seat of the car beside her.

"Just a little nervous, Jenn. What if they don't like me? There's always the possibility of…"

JJ put her hand on top of her boyfriend's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Spence. They'll love you, I know they will" she said quietly.

"But what if they don't?"

He looked nervous, even concerned, by the idea that his girlfriend's parents wouldn't like him. "Whether they like you or not, it will never, ever, change the way I feel about you, alright? Anyway, it's not going to come to that. They'll love you, Spence. I'm absolutely certain they will. You make me happier than I have been for a long time, Spence, and they know that. Believe me when I say that that's all that matters to them" she said reassuringly.

Her brown-haired boyfriend smiled, giving her a quick, though tender, kiss. "Then I'm ready".

He got quickly out of the car and walked around to the driver's door, opening it and helping Jennifer out of the car. "So you grew up here?" he queried.

His girlfriend chuckled. "Yeah, I did. Do you see the swinging chair on the porch? Every night during summer, I would come outside and sit there for hours just watching the stars and enjoying the night air".

She squeezed his hand gently. "C'mon, Spence, I really want to introduce you to my family".

Her boyfriend smiled, catching quickly up to her and slipping an arm around her waist as they walked up the gravel pathway to the door. Almost as soon as she knocked, the door was opened by an older-looking woman, who shared Jennifer's blonde hair. Jennifer smiled, hugging the woman. "Hi, mom"

"It's good to see you again, Jenny. You look well. And who's this lovely young man?"

Spencer flushed instantly as the woman complimented him, and his girlfriend smiled, wrapping her arm around his side and leaning more into his side, placing a quick kiss to his cheek before responding. "Mom, I'd like to officially introduce you to Spencer Reid, my boyfriend. We've been together for a month now"

Reid extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Jareau".

The woman smiled, shaking his hand. Spencer immediately noticed that her grip was firm, most definitely a good sign. "And it's nice to finally meet you, Spencer. Jenny's been telling us about you".

Spencer blushed again. "All good things, I hope?"

"Oh, of course. Please, come in"

Sandy led them inside, through a short hallway and into a lounge. There were toys scattered haphazardly across the wooden floor, and a simple brown leather couch sat facing the TV, which sat on top of a cabinet against the wall. "Make yourself comfortable, Spencer. Can I get you anything?"

"Um… I'd love a coffee, if that's alright"

"Certainly. Jenny, could you come and help me, please?"

"Of course"

The younger blonde followed her mother into the kitchen, pulling the door shut behind her. "How are you doing, Jenny?"

JJ considered the question. "Fine. Work is as exhausting as ever, but it's nice to know that Spence and I get to help make a difference in the world. Even though we can never entirely stop bad things from happening, it's just… I really hate to be cliché, but it feels like we're saving the world one life at a time, and that's all that really matters"

"That's not what I meant and you know it" her mother said quietly.

JJ sighed, filling the coffee machine and turning it on, filling the kitchen with a quiet humming sound, before responding. "Honestly? My morning sickness seems to have finally subsided, which is nice. The smell of coffee doesn't make me nauseous yet, which is even better (even though I realize it's probably only a matter of time until it does). I've already talked to Hotch, the Unit Chief, about being able to take time off when I need it, and he's fine with it. He also okayed Spence taking any needed time off as well, and I get the feeling we're both going to need all the time we can get soon enough. Especially once our son or daughter is born"

"And Spencer? How is he coping with all of this?"

Jennifer smiled, her blue eyes softening almost right away as her boyfriend's name was mentioned. Unconsciously, her right hand moved to her chest, playing with the delicate gold chain of the locket that hung around her neck. "I don't know where I'd be without Spence, I really don't. Ever since he found out a month ago, he's been absolutely perfect. He doesn't hover like a lot of expectant fathers you read about. He seems to know exactly when I need his help and when to just leave me alone and let me handle things on my own. As smart as he is, as much as he knows (which is actually a hell of a lot), he's not knowledgeable about this kind of thing, so it's like he and I are both learning about this as we go, which is actually sort of comforting. Really, I don't think there's anyone else that I'd rather do this with"

"You think you'll marry him?"

"Who knows? I certainly hope so, but we've only been together for a month, and we're still getting used to… well, just to being together. We're not exactly at that point in our relationship where we want to think about anything further on than we are. We've all but moved in together though, and I'm pretty sure he's going to ask me to officially move in with him by the end of the month" JJ replied thoughtfully.

Sandy smiled. "Good enough".

* * *

**So there we go. Not proud of it, but it is what it is.**

**Edit: Reuploaded to add a couple of words that had been originally missed out.**


End file.
